Stay With Me
by prismdreams
Summary: As Barry lays in a coma from the brutal beating Zoom had inflicted on him, Caitlin stays by his side and doesn't leave until he wakes up. OneShot. Snowbarry. Set in 2x06. Alternate ending.


_**A/N:** I really couldn't resist writing this as an alternative for the end of 2x06. How fucking nuts was that ending? Fucking Zoom, alright the show has given me nightmares since Tuesday. Like I'm still crying from all the violence and seeing Barry like that. Caitlin's face, Cisco, it was just too much. For this one shot I wanted Caitlin to be more of a bigger character as opposed to just apart of Team Flash. Which she is always great in but the show could do so much more with her. I'm hoping the show gives us more Caitlin because she is such an amazing character, both with Barry and as a standalone. Let me know what you guys think. I'm trying to write this and an update to Partners at the same time. I needed to get this one out because "Enter Zoom" really affected me. Thanks for reading! See you guys soon on the next update to Partners. :)_

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"Barry!"

Caitlin Snow's hands shook as she witnessed Barry's bruised and battered body take another hard hit. She didn't react fast enough when Cisco shot the speed reducing dart into Zoom's neck.

He pulled back in agony and sped out of the facility without looking back. The team only pierced his speed. The dart didn't have an effect on him at all. Caitlin and Cisco looked at each other quickly before charging toward Barry. Caitlin immediately froze in shock before her voice started to work again.

"Stay with me Barry. Stay with me Barry. Please Barry please. Oh god." She cried as Barry made no signs of response; his wasn't even breathing at this point.

He lay motionless as Caitlin's palm covered the wound under the Flash emblem on his chest. She was worried if she pressed too hard she'd make matters worse. She was right as Cisco took the rains and brought her back to reality. The panic hit her hard. It was amazing both of them could make sense of what just happened.

Zoom had truly done his worst and no one had seen it coming. Jay tried to warn Barry and the team of the repercussions but everyone ignored him. Caitlin had faith in Jay but nobody believed her. Now they were paying the price for putting trust in the wrong man. Caitlin glared at Wells standing by out of breath and in shock just as they were. She didn't have time to think, Barry's life was on the line and time was crucial.

Caitlin and Cisco hurried to bring Barry's near lifeless body to the trauma bed and begin the process of resuscitation. Caitlin's milky tears were covering her eyes, clouding her vision and almost freezing her own body in shock. Never had she seen such a brutal beating before in her life, and with someone she cared more than about than anything else. Now it's personal. But Caitlin had to control her emotions and find a way to save him.

She looked at his face and broke out in fresh tears which she didn't bother wiping away. She knew she was starting to feel unstable but she had to pull it together. The more she fell apart the slightest mistake could be fatal for Barry.

Barry's life was in both their hands. She stammered before telling Cisco all the procedural steps in order to stabilize Barry's heart beat. As soon as his vitals were hooked into the system and the monitor began to read the truth, Caitlin gulped as she scanned the readings. They were climbing but still he wasn't responding. Caitlin can do this. She's done it many times she just needed to focus and not let her emotions control her. The more she told herself the better it got. Cisco's calm words were helping both of them along the process.

When everything they could think of had been done and tried, Caitlin stayed near the bed as Cisco looked on from the other side, making last minute checks on Barry's vitals which were shockingly not completely gone.

Caitlin's legs felt weak and her hands formed a tight fist. Her lips pursed together so tightly she felt as if they going to rip off. Cisco touched her shoulder and she dropped her building anger.

"We trusted the wrong man. Jay was right. It was all his fault." She said, at the corner of her eye she spied Wells looking on with an unreadable expression over his face.

Was he feeling any remorse? Was he angry about Barry? Was he after himself the whole time? Barry's vitals were just barely hanging on. Caitlin hesitated before she ran directly toward Wells, punching his face before he had a second to process what she just did.

"It's all _you_. It's your face. We trusted you. You wanted this." Caitlin's voice cracked as she picked his body up and held him by his jacket against the wall.

Harrison Wells was twice her size but Caitlin was feeling strong. Too strong for her own good. She could do real damage right now if she wanted to.

"I didn't plan this Snow. You have to at a least know that much. I swear it." Wells said in a weak voice but still his cocky attitude came through.

Caitlin pushed him hard before she felt Cisco begin to pull her away as she cried helplessly. She could barely sit down when Cisco brought her near Barry's body. She wiped her tears as she took a cloth and began cleaning the blood over his face, her crying increased as she tried not to let the tears drop over his face.

She'd had managed to clean his face and sunk down on the chair looking at him. What she wouldn't give to take his place. He was the hero, he didn't deserve this. Barry is too brave, Caitlin's eyes cried once more as she took the tissues Cisco brought in front of her.

"Wells is gone, for now. I wish he was gone for good. I wish we knew everything." Cisco softly spoke. "Cait, is there anything I can do?"

"Turn back time?" She said incredulously. "I don't know, I don't know how much more of this I can take. Barry should not have faced him. I should have done more. Jay knew it. I wish we all listened to him. I should have stopped him. Knowing Barry he's just as stubborn as Ronnie was. Look at what happened to both of them."

"I know." Cisco said somberly, taking a seat near her as he looked on to Barry breathing calmly. "But we saved him. Now we just have to wait until he wakes up. Just like before. This is how it all started. I don't want it to end like this. Barry is...he's my best friend. I can't imagine my life, your life, _our_ lives without him. He's the best person I know. Better than anyone I've known. He's very strong and he's come a long way from last year."

Caitlin wiped her face before holding both more tears that threatened to fall. "His vitals are stable but there's no telling when he's going to wake up."

Cisco nodded and stood up before Caitlin looked at him questioningly. "Do you wanna be alone with him?"

"I don't know what I could do...what else can I do? I know he can't hear me."

"What if he can?"

"What?"

"Maybe you could talk to him, let him hear your voice, see if he can hear you that way."

"Cisco comas are specific. Hearing is temporarily not functioning."

"I think you could try. Anything will help." Cisco said giving Caitlin a strong hug before turning around to leave the room.

Caitlin sat for a few long seconds contemplating what Cisco said. He was adamant that Barry could wake up if one of them talked to him. Caitlin wondered why he told her to do it and not offered to do it himself.

Barry laid in the same position, his face staring forward, eyelashes resting on top of his cheeks. The bruises around his face and cuts looked to be in the process of healing. Comas were different. You either wake up or you don't. Caitlin pulled her hair from her face to think rationally for a minute.

She cleared her throat, making sure she didn't show how weak she felt still seeing him like this.

"Barry..." she started, "I don't know if you could hear me. I'm going to try and not completely lose it again. I punched Dr. Wells. Ha! So out of character for me. I did it because you don't deserve this. I said to you "don't expect me to patch you up every time you get hurt." I said that because I don't want to see anyone get hurt. Especially _you_. Barry...I—I didn't expect to feel this way. Cisco was my only real friend when I first came to STAR Labs. He believed in me. I don't know, those moments where I thought I was going to give up because the pain was too much, he was there for me. But you..."

Caitlin paused, trying to form her words, almost believing that he could actually hear her.

"You give me hope. You give us all hope. No matter how bad things get, if you have faith you'll defeat whatever comes in your way. When I was kidnapped, oh god, I haven't told anyone this, all I kept thinking about was I hope you're safe. That I just want Barry to be OK. I didn't care what happened to me. You know as much as Cisco believed in me, I still don't feel I made a difference in the world. Not like you. Not like Ronnie. I loved Ronnie so much. I used to think that was enough," she paused to touch Barry's limp hand, holding it gently. "If you could feel this, god, if you can hear me, I just want you to know one thing: _don't_ make the same mistake Ronnie did. Please, Barry, I need you to come back."

Caitlin stood up from her seat to look over Barry sleeping soundlessly. The heart monitor was improving but there were no signs of movement.

"I didn't think it was possible either, to feel, like this. But you—you made me believe in the impossible. I need you to wake up. You have to. We all need you here. I need you." Caitlin's voice cracked as hidden tears slipped off her cheeks. "I love you..."

Caitlin took a sharp intake of breath before kneeling down to kiss his forehead. She turned around and froze when she heard a croaked whisper.

"Cait, Caitlin..." It was Barry, Caitlin turned around to see his eyes trying to focus.

Cisco came in the room as Caitlin nodded and they both came near the bed.

"Guys.." Barry whispered, his voice still not %100 yet. "How long was I out?"

"You scared us man. You were gone for a long time." Cisco said, relieved.

Barry tried to sit up but Caitlin eased him to rest. "How bad is it?"

"Bad. If you didn't heal so fast I'd be very worried." Caitlin said above a whisper, managing to keep it together for Barry's sake.

"Where's Linda? Is she safe?"

"She's staying with friends, she's fine." Cisco answered.

Barry tried to swallow but it was difficult. "Zoom?"

"Let's worry about Zoom when you're recovered."

Caitlin worried for a minute. Zoom was still out there, Barry needed time to heal but he all he wanted to do was jump back into battle.

He tried to get up but Caitlin calmly placed her hand on his shoulder. "Hey hey, you're not going anywhere."

"Yeah man, you got your ass kicked badly." Cisco followed. Both of them trying to restrain Barry.

"Where's Wells?"

Caitlin hesitated before answering. "I asked him nicely to leave."

"Yeah with her fist." Cisco finished and Caitlin tried to remain calm even though it was the truth. "Beat me to it."

Cisco's phone buzzed and he looked at it. "It's Joe, I'll tell him to come back here." He'd left to take the call leaving Caitlin and Barry alone again.

"You really worried us there. I thought I lost you, again." Caitlin gulped, unable to keep her emotions together.

Barry's face tried to make an emotion but it hurt too much. He knew he needed more time to recover so he took it slow and just whispered, barely.

"I'm sorry. I thought I was going to die. I felt it. But, something pulled me back."

Caitlin looked at him confused. "What?"

"It was you."

Caitlin smiled slightly as her hand touched Barry's leg. He looked at her with wide eyes, trying to sit up again.

"Hey, what are you doing? I thought I told you to take it easy."

Barry swallowed as the shock hit it between the eyes. He looked at Caitlin in mere panic as the words he dreaded fell from his lips.

"I can't feel my legs."


End file.
